Captain Tom Moore’s daughter banned from running charities

Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter and her husband have been barred from being charity trustees as part of an ongoing inquiry into their foundation.

In a statement, the family said they ‘fundamentally disagree’ with the decision.

Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin were disqualified by the Charity Commission, the government body regulating the field.

The family said they have made the ‘extremely difficult decision’ not to appeal, saying the ‘profound emotional upheaval and financial burden make such a course of action untenable’.

They said: ‘The Commission’s failure to conclude the inquiry prolongs our deep distress and hinders our ability to move on with our lives, extending the pain and impact on our family and our father / grandfathers’ legacy.

‘It has been a harrowing and debilitating ordeal that has gone on for over two years.

‘We are increasingly concerned that the Charity Commission’s process may have evolved into a relentless pursuit, and question whether it is a tactic by the Commission to make our lives more difficult, by suspending us in constant fear and mental anguish.

‘The orders of disqualification do not state that Hannah Ingram-Moore or Colin Ingram-Moore have misappropriated or received unauthorised payments from the charity’s funds, including public donations. We have never accessed or made any payments from the charity’s bank account.

‘Independent Trustees have maintained full control over the charity’s finances since inception.

‘We fundamentally disagree with the conclusions reached by the Charity Commission.’

A lawyer for the family has previously stated that the foundation could shut down.

A statutory inquiry into The Captain Tom Foundation was opened in 2022 after concerns about the charity’s management were raised the previous year, including about the charity’s independence from the family’s businesses.

Speaking in October last year during an appeal hearing against the demolition of a spa pool block at the home of the Ingram-Moores, barrister Scott Stemp said the charity is ‘unlikely to exist’ in future.

The family lost that appeal and a digger was seen tearing down parts of the unauthorised building earlier this year.

The foundation was registered on 5 June 2020, following the fundraising efforts of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore during the pandemic.

He inspired the nation by raising £38 million for NHS charities, after he set a goal of walking 100 laps of his garden by his 100th birthday on 30 April 2020.

The foundation was registered as a grant-making charity, for the advancement of public health and wellbeing.

Helen Stephenson, CEO of the Charity Commission, said when the investigation was announced in 2022: ‘The late Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired the nation with his courage, tenacity and concern for others.

‘It is vital that public trust in charity is protected, and that people continue to feel confident in supporting good causes.

‘We do not take any decision to open an inquiry lightly, but in this case our concerns have mounted. We consider it in the public interest to examine them through a formal investigation, which gives us access to the full range of our protective and enforcement powers.’

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